Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
As part of its desire to leverage innovation and technology to improve customer experience, Ikeja Electric Plc (IE) has introduced an electronic billing (e-billing) platform, which enables customers to receive electricity bills promptly and conveniently via channels like SMS, USSD, email, IE Bill portal and IE mobile Application.
It was gathered that the leading electricity distribution company in Nigeria came up with this initiative, which is the first in the industry and complies with regulatory requirements, to ensure prompt delivery of bills to customers.
Business Post gathered that the e-billing service is free, with the SMS delivered to the registered phone numbers of customers and the PDF bills delivered to emails submitted by customers.
Ikeja Electric said the PDF can also be downloaded via the website, adding that the Mobile App was currently available on Android and would soon be available on other Operating Systems. There is also a billing portal which customers can access to download their bills on a monthly basis.
Customers can update their contact details by visiting the company’s website, the Customer Care Unit or the nearest Ikeja Electric service centers. For customers who do not have contact details on Ikeja Electric’s website, account managers will ensure all bills delivered to valid contacts provided by such customers.
With the introduction of e-billing system, bills are delivered faster, helping customers to reduce unwanted clutter of papers in their home, eliminating manual printing and distribution of bills with all its attendant challenges.
It was learned that this new system will reduce the risk of bills being lost in transit or affected by bad weather, while offering electronic tracking of bills delivery. In addition, the e-billing initiative is a step towards greater environmental sustainability.
Commenting on the initiative, Head of Corporate Communications for Ikeja Electric, Mr Felix Ofulue, said, “What we have done with e-billing is to create different platforms through which post-paid customers can easily access their bills.
“As a forward-thinking organization, we understand that a critical element of product development is customer convenience and ease to access.
“This is what we intend to achieve by providing post-paid customers with easier options of receiving monthly bills via SMS, e-mail, USSD, IE Bill Portal and IE mobile app.”
He added that, “We believe that our customers appreciate innovative services that offer convenience, eliminate hitches and also fit their lifestyle; which is what e-billing guarantees. Therefore, this initiative was driven largely with interest of customers at the heart of our business.”
